Free family identification program available Saturday during Food Truck Fun Fest at Oakley-Lindsay Center

QUINCY — The Herman Masonic Lodge Number 39 of Quincy will have available the Illinois Masonic Family Identification program Saturday at the Oakley-Lindsay Center’s Food Truck Fun Fest. The program is free of charge and only takes a few minutes to complete.

Lodge volunteers will start with a photo, height, weight and fingerprints for a child. A brief interview is conducted to conclude the process. The information (retained only by the family) is loaded onto a free jump drive to be taken home along with a DNA swab to complete at home.

In a press release, Steve O’Dear Jr., past master of Herman Lodge, said, “As a parent myself, I find this program vital to my own piece of mind. I sincerely hope that our community takes this opportunity to safeguard their loved ones.”

Thousands of children go missing every year. A total of 185 Amber alerts were issued and 127 Silver alerts in 2023. The Illinois Masonic Family Identification program is one of the most comprehensive programs available to assist in relocating missing children.